It can be done with one, but not your first or second time. My camp are seasoned pros, and last year one of our campmates got into our regional early and set 3 up for us, all connected. Took him a couple hours I think. When we have a group of 4 people we get them up in 15 minutes at the most, each.

missprism wrote:how hard are these to put up for a solo camper? looks like a multi-person job to me..

I set mine up solo for the first time last year. Was kind of a pain but doable. The tarps are the hard part. You need to move the legs around quite a bit to get them to fit, so don't pound any rebar into them till that's done.

Ano wrote:Picked one up - holy shit, I didn't expect it to be this heavy. Well... I don't know why I didn't expect that, to be honest. Also quite a tough footprint to transport.

That's assuming that you keep it in the box, and use the sides of the carport in addition to the canopy. What we do is just use the top-canopy, not the sides, which cuts down on the weight substantially. Also the weight is because the canopy is good quality. I tried using an aftermarket canopy and the forces on it caused the eyelets to stretch and eventually we had to cut holes in it to vent some of the air. No such problems with the original canopy.

For transportation, we separate the poles into groups of the same length and bind each group together with pallet wrap. The joints go into a large Rubbermaid bin along with the stakes, feet, and finally the canopy on top. It's actually pretty easy to work with at that point.

missprism wrote:how hard are these to put up for a solo camper? looks like a multi-person job to me..

I set mine up solo for the first time last year. Was kind of a pain but doable. The tarps are the hard part. You need to move the legs around quite a bit to get them to fit, so don't pound any rebar into them till that's done.

This might explain why I saw a carport go cartwheeling swiftly down E street this year while shrieking people gave chase . . .

You can't leave those things untethered for even a few minutes.

*** 2013 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

Ano wrote:These are all over the Sacramento and Roseville CostCo's, for those in the area.

Picked one up - holy shit, I didn't expect it to be this heavy. Well... I don't know why I didn't expect that, to be honest. Also quite a tough footprint to transport.

Either way, excited to get to work on this sucker. Now to find somewhere near Sacramento that will let me build this without much hassle.

You can put the thinner poles inside the wider ones to cut down on bulk. Then bind all of the poles with duct tape. Put cross members and junction pieces, along with bungee balls, etc in a milk crate of storage bin. Fold the tarps as best you can and you can squeeze them into places that more rigid things won't fit. I also recommend getting some spray paint and painting the ends of your poles are labeling the insides of the tarps. We have 4 different carports in our camp and this is how we keep them sorted.

missprism wrote:how hard are these to put up for a solo camper? looks like a multi-person job to me..

I set mine up solo for the first time last year. Was kind of a pain but doable. The tarps are the hard part. You need to move the legs around quite a bit to get them to fit, so don't pound any rebar into them till that's done.

This might explain why I saw a carport go cartwheeling swiftly down E street this year while shrieking people gave chase . . .

You can't leave those things untethered for even a few minutes.

Haha, yeah. I secure it with ratchet straps from the top while I'm adjusting the legs.

mudpuppy000 wrote:[qu ote=" missprism "]how hard are these to put up for a solo camper? looks like a multi-person job to me..[/ quot e]

I set mine up solo for the first time last year. Was kind of a pain but doable. The tarps are the hard part. You need to move the legs around quite a bit to get them to fit, so don't pound any rebar into them till that's done.

This might explain why I saw a carport go cartwheeling swiftly down E street this year while shrieking people gave chase . . .

You can't leave those things untethered for even a few minutes.

Haha, yeah. I secure it with ratchet straps from the top while I'm adjusting the legs.

My car was almost hit by a flying car port at the last burn!! I happened to be in it (with engine running), I sensed I should back up & it missed my car by a couple feet. There was a guy hanging onto it as it flipped over. He was pretty winded after flying through the air.

Whenever I set up my carport, I first set up 2 ratchet straps on each edge of the carport on the side the wind is coming from. Then I make sure they are staked down. If there is a wind gust it will be interesting but not dangerous... It is easier to move a couple stakes after the fact than to deal with hurting someone or damaging stuff!! It is a 20x10 carport and I have set it up by myself for several burns. I never put the legs on even if it is not secured somehow. The wind on the playa can be extremely unpredictable!!!

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Anyone have photos of how they set up the supports for this thing on playa? And, what about the feet? I was thinking of just slamming 1/2 inch 3 foot rebar into the ground halfway and then putting the poles on top of that, rather than use the feet and the meager stakes.

I bought twelve ratchet straps to hold this sucker down (2 for each corner, one for each middle pole), but I'm honestly a bit confused on how to best attach these to the structure. I got 1/2 inch 2 foot rebar to guy the structure down. I went all out, after seeing some wind turn one of these into a murder-sail last year.

Setting this frame up was total cake, but I'm nervous about using it this weekend up at the permaburn property, and on playa. I really don't want this to turn into a sail, and since I live in an apartment in downtown Sacramento, I can't really set this thing up anywhere to test it out without driving an hour to my parents house... Which I don't have time for this week. Oh, dilemmas!

Anyone have photos of how they set up the supports for this thing on playa? And, what about the feet? I was thinking of just slamming 1/2 inch 3 foot rebar into the ground halfway and then putting the poles on top of that, rather than use the feet and the meager stakes.

I bought twelve ratchet straps to hold this sucker down (2 for each corner, one for each middle pole), but I'm honestly a bit confused on how to best attach these to the structure. I got 1/2 inch 2 foot rebar to guy the structure down. I went all out, after seeing some wind turn one of these into a murder-sail last year.

Setting this frame up was total cake, but I'm nervous about using it this weekend up at the permaburn property, and on playa. I really don't want this to turn into a sail, and since I live in an apartment in downtown Sacramento, I can't really set this thing up anywhere to test it out without driving an hour to my parents house... Which I don't have time for this week. Oh, dilemmas!

Putting the poles over rebar isn't going to do anything to help it from lifting up, which it will when the wind gets going. We use 3 or 4 of these carports in our camp every year, and the best way we have found is to candycane 3/8" rebar. If you have access to a welder, cut off about 6-8" and weld it on to the back of the spine at the top. This functions as a driving point and makes them much easier to put in and not have the candycane bend more. The 3/8" rebar will fit through the holes on the feet. Put one on each pole and that thing is not going anywhere. Start with a 4' piece of rebar and you can drive it down about 30" after the bend and cut.

I've fashioned carport feet (drilled plywood and bolts) and pound L-shaped rebar at an angle to hold them down. The feet prevent the poles from digging into the playa, and there's need for guylines -- at least for what we set up. Note that the holes are on outward side of the canopy provide the most leverage.

carport_feet.jpg

If you want to use just straight rebar, you should duct-tape the rebar to the OUTSIDE of the pole, not just insert it into the shaft.

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Last edited by BBadger on Mon May 20, 2013 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

I figured that it would help give support from blowing laterally. I figured I'd use the ratchet straps to keep it from flying. I don't have easy access to a welder, or a good way of candy caning... Hmm, I might need to rethink things though. Any other input or advice is appreciated! Thank you, by the way.

Remember that it takes a LOT of force to lift even straight vertical stakes out of the ground with wind/gusts blowing laterally. The structure of the carport literally has to hinge itself at the rear stakes and provide a lever at a 12ft long distance. That's a lot of torque required even if you're only covering one side the carport so that the interior captures the gust. Lifting 4x pounded stakes from the ground, even if they're straight, will be difficult. If they're angled it is much harder to lift them out. Always good to be safe than sorry, but it's a pretty sturdy structure with the feet held in place. You can always use multiple stakes as well.

You can also reduce the wind profile by using the canopy as more of a shade structure rather than a walled structure. I find that just having the canopy on top makes for a great hang-out area. You can put some shade cloth or netting on the sides to block some of the light too.

It's not hard to make candy-cane rebar. You just need two pipes. A propane torch can also help, especially for thicker gauges, but isn't necessary.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

The carport was going to be our enclosed structure to camp under. Was going to rig up a swamp cooler for it as well.

I don't have my carport on hand, it's an hour away from me (no room at my apartment. parents are my storage unit), but are the holes on the feet big enough to stick rebar through, or am I going to need to figure something else out? My local Home Depot can help me candycane some rebar, just called to ask, but I don't think I have the resources or time to make some plywood feet.

I'm now thinking, candycane through feet, ratchet straps for extra support, dynamic rope rigging on the inside. I wanna keep it overkill just to make sure this thing doesn't fly away!

Ano wrote:The carport was going to be our enclosed structure to camp under. Was going to rig up a swamp cooler for it as well.

I don't have my carport on hand, it's an hour away from me (no room at my apartment. parents are my storage unit), but are the holes on the feet big enough to stick rebar through, or am I going to need to figure something else out? My local Home Depot can help me candycane some rebar, just called to ask, but I don't think I have the resources or time to make some plywood feet.

I'm now thinking, candycane through feet, ratchet straps for extra support, dynamic rope rigging on the inside. I wanna keep it overkill just to make sure this thing doesn't fly away!

And again, thanks for the input.

3/8" will fit through the holes on the feet. That size is plenty strong, and much easier to candy cane than 1/2". That little bit makes a massive difference when it comes to bending it.

For the ratchet strap pattern, I make an X out of them on either end (10' side) and one X in the center of the 30' side (opposite the door). That way you don't have a bunch of guy lines outside for people to trip over. It's a bit of a pain if you want to use the 10' sides as doors though. I also use the stock feet and pound a candycaned rebar in each corner, and also on either side of the door.

Note, there's quite a bit of flex in the frame, so you want something to hold down the center. I discovered this at a regional burn, where the center poles were lifting 1-2 feet off the ground by the wind blowing in the open door, while the small ends of the structure were nice and secure.

This will be my first burn, I just picked up my Costco carport today. A lot of local LA Costcos are out of them, had to go to Orange County to get it.

Glad the topic of securing it is being discussed, as I was just thinking of asking the question! Time to invest in more ratchet straps. I was thinking of butting one of the 10' sides right against my hex. Should work, right?

jdwrench wrote:This will be my first burn, I just picked up my Costco carport today. A lot of local LA Costcos are out of them, had to go to Orange County to get it.

Glad the topic of securing it is being discussed, as I was just thinking of asking the question! Time to invest in more ratchet straps. I was thinking of butting one of the 10' sides right against my hex. Should work, right?

Ever see a 20 foot carport 30 feet in the air? Your Hexa Yurt won't anchor it at all. I always advise using T-posts at the 4 corners. Some people here think it's over kill...and some of them, I see the next year, re designing. If you have room for a car port, you probably have room for t posts.

jdwrench wrote:Guess I should have been a bit more clear. I just meant attaching and using it as and entry way. Not to secure it. I'm going to be buying a lot of rebar soon. How long do you make the candy canes?

They should go about a foot or more into the playa. Driving a U shaped rebar with two equal length ends, is difficult and tends to distort as its being pounded in. An actual "candy cane" looking piece, works just fine.

I bought some pre-bent candy cane rebar a few years ago and have been really liking them. I previously tried to bend some myself with one of those rebar benders they sell at HD and had terrible results. If you can figure out how to bend them like that yourself you can save a few bucks.

Are they as easy to attach to as a candy cane rebar would be? Do you just put large washers on them to make it easier? How about pulling them out? Obviously I don't want my first year to be spent chasing my carport and apologizing to my neighbors when it flys through their camp.